"Why is Hillary Clinton travelling across Africa?" asks a headline in L'Inter (p. 7). The commentary notes that six months after her trip to Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire, Togo and Sierra Leone, Secretary Clinton is back in Africa to deliver a speech that mainly focuses on democracy, economic growth and security. The writer asks whether, by these trips, "The United States can do better than China in Africa." The writer recalls that, during the just-ended China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in Beijing, President Hu Jintao "doubled China's aid to Africa, increasing it from US $10 billion to US $20 billion." "As if this is not enough, China has also pledged, among other things, to train 30,000 leaders and grant scholarships to students from Africa, while 1,500 Chinese health personnel are to be sent to the continent." Against this background, the writer opines that it would be difficult for Secretary Clinton "to convince" African leaders who are "overwhelmed by many Chinese gifts," that the U.S. has something better to offer.

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